Monday, July 1, 2013

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

4th of July is just 3 days away, and what better way to celebrate the red, white, and blue than to make these festive pancakes for breakfast. My boyfriend and I's favorite thing to do when we have the weekends off together is to make pancakes. While other people are nursing hangovers, or getting an early gym sesh in, we are scarfing down delicious cakes full of fruit, topped with butter and syrup. This past weekend we decided to switch it up and we were not let down! The replacement of milk with ricotta makes these cakes extremely light and fluffy. Then you add in the fresh lemon juice, and top them with the super fresh bluberry sauce, and you've got the perfect summer combination.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry SauceIngredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup ricotta

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 large egg

2 egg whites

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp. lemon zest

Blueberry Sauce:

1 1/2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. water

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. (This will be used to keep the pancakes warm, no one likes cold pancakes!)

To make the blueberry sauce, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and 2 tbsp. water. Stir in the lemon juice and cornstarch mixture.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Keep warm; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, oil, egg, egg whites, lemon juice, and zest.

Pour wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula until just combined.

Lightly coat a griddle or nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Scoop 1/3 cup batter for each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer. Keep warm in the oven.

Serve immediately with blueberry sauce. Turst me, your plate will look like this when you are done.